In Gaza, parkour brings youngsters a taste of freedom

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In Gaza, parkour brings youngsters a taste of freedom

Parkour, an extreme sport also known as free-running, originated in France in the 1990s

Published: January 25, 2021 07:56 AFP and compiled by Balaram Menon, Senior Web Editor

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Copy of 410998-01-02-1611545961872 — Using crutches, Palestinian Mohamed Aliwa (pictured) leaps from one concrete slab to another, determined that his missing leg won't stop him doing parkour, a sport that brings respite from grim reality in Gaza. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410999-01-02-1611545964514 — The Palestinian teen's right leg was amputated near the knee in 2018 after he was hit by Israeli army fire during protests along the fortified border separating the Gaza Strip from Israel. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410996-01-02-1611545987839 — Along with his lower leg, he lost his dream of being a professional parkour athlete, he told AFP. But watching his friends jumping from obstacle to obstacle, the 18-year-old, who now sometimes makes use of a prosthetic limb, decided that his disability shouldn't bring his moves to an end. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 411000-01-02-1611545967159 — Parkour, an extreme sport also known as free-running, originated in France in the 1990s. It involves navigating urban obstacles using a fast-paced mix of jumping, vaulting, running and rolling. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410997-01-02-1611545959150 — In Gaza, young people have been practising parkour for years. But even the easiest jump carries risks, and that is why Jihad Abu Sultan, 32, opened what he says is the "first parkour academy in the Palestinian territories", with the support of French sporting goods giant Decathlon. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410995-01-02-1611545985183 — "I started doing parkour in 2005," he said at his club in Al-Shati refugee camp, near Gaza City. "At the time, we didn't have a dedicated space, we trained in cemeteries and on the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israel". Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410990-01-02-1611545972338 — Abu Sultan says that the sport was practised by individuals on an ad hoc basis until two months ago, when he came together with fellow enthusiasts to establish the club, which they call "Wallrunners". Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410991-01-02-1611545975167 — It teaches the sport "in a safe way, far from the dangers of the street," he told AFP. It has a modest budget but already has some 70 members, including seven girls, who can jump from one wooden block to another, perform somersaults and swing on parallel bars. On the ground are rubber mats, to soften falls. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410993-01-02-1611545979671 — For some, Parkour shines a ray of light into what is a dreary existence. "For a generation of young Palestinians who have grown up in a flood of under-employment, it has become a method of self-expression, an escape, and a way of life," says the Wallrunners website in English. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410994-01-02-1611545982470 — The club is due to hold the first parkour competition in Gaza in February, if restrictions linked to the novel coronavirus pandemic allow it. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 410992-01-02-1611545977352 — Parkour is young, dynamic, and subversive. A sport that is perhaps custom fit for places like Gaza, and the energy, creativity and resilience of its youth. Image Credit: AFP

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